Telephone lines, which are carried by electrical conductors known as tip ring wire pairs, are generally aggregated at a particular point in a building prior to being distributed and connected to various types of telephone equipment, such as, for example, telephones, fax machines, modems etc. As the tip ring pairs enter the building as part of a multi-conductor cable, the individual tip ring wire pairs must first be broken out from the cable into individual wire pairs. This is normally accomplished in a junction box known as, for example, a building entrance protector (BEP), or network interface unit (NIU).
The multi-conductor cables are generally enclosed in stiff insulation jackets halving variable diameters depending upon the particular application. Because these multi-conductor cables carry the tip ring wire pairs that will be connected to various types of telephone equipment, it is necessary to provide strain relief to the cable to insure that the tip ring wire pairs do not become disconnected or loose. Loose or disconnected wires in a junction box can cause serious and hard to find malfunctions in telephone service, which requires costly repair and maintenance service.
Presently, however, there are no efficient means for securing multi-conductor cables of variable diameters or shapes in the BIP or NIU. Thus, there is a need for a strain relief device capable of securing multi-conductor cables of variable diameters.